Why does BA take £15 to cancel a booking?
Jun 17, 2019, 6:01 pm
#46
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
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I may be a Scotsman but I'm no daft laddie!! 
The fee is a bit of a rip off however if it keeps the price of buying a ticket lower than it might be then so be it. My guess is the vast majority of leisure flyers rarely if ever have to cancel a BA ticket. I personally have only ever known two....the wife and myself who did it last year.
The fee is a bit of a rip off however if it keeps the price of buying a ticket lower than it might be then so be it. My guess is the vast majority of leisure flyers rarely if ever have to cancel a BA ticket. I personally have only ever known two....the wife and myself who did it last year.
Jun 17, 2019, 7:11 pm
#47
Join Date: Feb 2010
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Almost certainly a big part of the equation.
I know someone that is so insensed by these admin fees that he has been known to check a bag in, use the lounge and say something has come up saying he no longer wishes to fly right at T-20m and cause a delay to the flight whilst they offload him and his bag. Whilst I’ve told him this is selfish and inconsiderate and ask him why he does it he said 2 can play at thst game.
Well this is just ridiculous. To check in and use the lounge and at least get some free food and drink out of the lost ticket is one thing(seems like a lot of effort but whatever), but to delay others just to make a point that BA almost certainly will never know he is making is so utterly selfish and pointless. Unless 100s or 1000s of people started doing this, which is not going to happen, this is never going to achieve anything.
Jun 18, 2019, 1:03 am
#48
Join Date: Jan 2016
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The other thing that BA have 'lost' in the sale and refund is two lots of credit/debit card processing fees. For a short haul flight they are not significant, but for long haul flights they can be quite a few pounds. You could argue that the cost of the original ticket includes the cost of the sale. There may be other costs that are now lost - is there an incremental cost to plate and cancel a ticket with that info being maybe available in other external systems like the GDS?
Jun 18, 2019, 1:15 am
#49
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The other thing that BA have 'lost' in the sale and refund is two lots of credit/debit card processing fees. For a short haul flight they are not significant, but for long haul flights they can be quite a few pounds. You could argue that the cost of the original ticket includes the cost of the sale. There may be other costs that are now lost - is there an incremental cost to plate and cancel a ticket with that info being maybe available in other external systems like the GDS?
Jun 18, 2019, 1:28 am
#50
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,225
I know someone that is so insensed by these admin fees that he has been known to check a bag in, use the lounge and say something has come up saying he no longer wishes to fly right at T-20m and cause a delay to the flight whilst they offload him and his bag. Whilst I’ve told him this is selfish and inconsiderate and ask him why he does it he said 2 can play at thst game..
Jun 18, 2019, 1:35 am
#51
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I get the OP frustration with the admin fee. "Admin" fees are the highway robberies of the 21st century, not just in the airline industry. You went 2 pence overdraft? We need a 10£ "admin" fee to be able to deal with it. Cancelling your gym membership? Oh that's going to be a lot of "admin". Etc ad nauseam
I also get the OP's "stick it to the man" feeling. If you're not even going to get a tenner for your hassle, might as well not bother and inconvenience the airline in return (though I doubt it will achieve anything at all).
What I did not get was the reason for cancelling. So you have a guaranteed ticket on a BA flight, non-refundable at that, yet you want to ditch that for a FR flight because that's cheaper and slightly more convenient? Is it worth all the hassle, now that there is no money to save?
I also get the OP's "stick it to the man" feeling. If you're not even going to get a tenner for your hassle, might as well not bother and inconvenience the airline in return (though I doubt it will achieve anything at all).
What I did not get was the reason for cancelling. So you have a guaranteed ticket on a BA flight, non-refundable at that, yet you want to ditch that for a FR flight because that's cheaper and slightly more convenient? Is it worth all the hassle, now that there is no money to save?
Jun 18, 2019, 8:04 am
#52
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 610
I know someone that is so insensed by these admin fees that he has been known to check a bag in, use the lounge and say something has come up saying he no longer wishes to fly right at T-20m and cause a delay to the flight whilst they offload him and his bag. Whilst I’ve told him this is selfish and inconsiderate and ask him why he does it he said 2 can play at thst game..
Jun 18, 2019, 8:20 am
#53
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 610
I get the OP frustration with the admin fee. "Admin" fees are the highway robberies of the 21st century, not just in the airline industry. You went 2 pence overdraft? We need a 10£ "admin" fee to be able to deal with it. Cancelling your gym membership? Oh that's going to be a lot of "admin". Etc ad nauseam
I also get the OP's "stick it to the man" feeling. If you're not even going to get a tenner for your hassle, might as well not bother and inconvenience the airline in return (though I doubt it will achieve anything at all).
What I did not get was the reason for cancelling. So you have a guaranteed ticket on a BA flight, non-refundable at that, yet you want to ditch that for a FR flight because that's cheaper and slightly more convenient? Is it worth all the hassle, now that there is no money to save?
I also get the OP's "stick it to the man" feeling. If you're not even going to get a tenner for your hassle, might as well not bother and inconvenience the airline in return (though I doubt it will achieve anything at all).
What I did not get was the reason for cancelling. So you have a guaranteed ticket on a BA flight, non-refundable at that, yet you want to ditch that for a FR flight because that's cheaper and slightly more convenient? Is it worth all the hassle, now that there is no money to save?
Originally, and when i had booked the BA flight for a few reasons, i had the choice of this flight (which would involve an hour and a half train from where i will be staying) but gets me back to LHR for 6.30pm or a ryanair flight that leaves from where i am staying but doesnt get back to stansted till 10.30pm and as i have to work on Monday, that means trecking across london would leave me with roughly 3 hours sleep before i have to wake up. I booked it a few months ago so i could get the best price as i regularly do this trip so i know it was the cheapest i could get for the flight. I had planned to fly out on a Ryanair flight but had not booked this yet.
But Ryanair then changed their schedule and introduced an afternoon flight and i was willing to pay the extra because a. i was under the impression i would get all my taxes and fuel surcharges back and b, it would be mean not rushing to get to the other airport when i woke up .. so just bought the return when i was buying the outbound.
I know i have lost money but, as it used to be with BA, i will pay more for comfort and in this case, Ryanair will give me more comfort. As a lowly Y with no status, i dont get the lounge perks if i use BA nor do i get food;/ a drink. The cabin crew are now as miserable as Ryanairs. And now i will get home before the BA flight even leaves.
And the other poster is right. It might be a blessing in disguise because if there is a problem with the Ryanair flight, i can just go and take the BA one.
Jun 18, 2019, 8:31 am
#54
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 610
Yeah, this is one of many fees companies charge that really are not proportional to the cost involved. That said, there is undoubtedly admin involved in processing these refunds and I don't think £15 is that bad.
I still don't get why the OP is so upset by this. This is a very minor gripe imo. There are far less justifiable fees out there e.g. the high fees for choosing seats in Club World for non status passengers.
I still don't get why the OP is so upset by this. This is a very minor gripe imo. There are far less justifiable fees out there e.g. the high fees for choosing seats in Club World for non status passengers.
Jun 18, 2019, 11:59 am
#55
Join Date: Oct 2015
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And for the record i get equally as annoyed by buying gig tickets and having to pay for the luxury of printing them out at home.
Originally, and when i had booked the BA flight for a few reasons, i had the choice of this flight (which would involve an hour and a half train from where i will be staying) but gets me back to LHR for 6.30pm or a ryanair flight that leaves from where i am staying but doesnt get back to stansted till 10.30pm and as i have to work on Monday, that means trecking across london would leave me with roughly 3 hours sleep before i have to wake up. I booked it a few months ago so i could get the best price as i regularly do this trip so i know it was the cheapest i could get for the flight. I had planned to fly out on a Ryanair flight but had not booked this yet.
But Ryanair then changed their schedule and introduced an afternoon flight and i was willing to pay the extra because a. i was under the impression i would get all my taxes and fuel surcharges back and b, it would be mean not rushing to get to the other airport when i woke up .. so just bought the return when i was buying the outbound.
I know i have lost money but, as it used to be with BA, i will pay more for comfort and in this case, Ryanair will give me more comfort. As a lowly Y with no status, i dont get the lounge perks if i use BA nor do i get food;/ a drink. The cabin crew are now as miserable as Ryanairs. And now i will get home before the BA flight even leaves.
And the other poster is right. It might be a blessing in disguise because if there is a problem with the Ryanair flight, i can just go and take the BA one.
Originally, and when i had booked the BA flight for a few reasons, i had the choice of this flight (which would involve an hour and a half train from where i will be staying) but gets me back to LHR for 6.30pm or a ryanair flight that leaves from where i am staying but doesnt get back to stansted till 10.30pm and as i have to work on Monday, that means trecking across london would leave me with roughly 3 hours sleep before i have to wake up. I booked it a few months ago so i could get the best price as i regularly do this trip so i know it was the cheapest i could get for the flight. I had planned to fly out on a Ryanair flight but had not booked this yet.
But Ryanair then changed their schedule and introduced an afternoon flight and i was willing to pay the extra because a. i was under the impression i would get all my taxes and fuel surcharges back and b, it would be mean not rushing to get to the other airport when i woke up .. so just bought the return when i was buying the outbound.
I know i have lost money but, as it used to be with BA, i will pay more for comfort and in this case, Ryanair will give me more comfort. As a lowly Y with no status, i dont get the lounge perks if i use BA nor do i get food;/ a drink. The cabin crew are now as miserable as Ryanairs. And now i will get home before the BA flight even leaves.
And the other poster is right. It might be a blessing in disguise because if there is a problem with the Ryanair flight, i can just go and take the BA one.
im not sure I would describe a Ryanair flight as providing comfort, but hey each to their own. Hope you get home safe.
Jun 18, 2019, 3:33 pm
#56
Join Date: Feb 2010
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Very few of us regularly pay cash to fly business class. This is what miles are for!
Jun 19, 2019, 1:05 am
#58
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 610
On Ryanair, i can also carry on a duty free bag in addition to the cabin bag and the personal item i have (which even with paying for, was still cheaper than the BA flight).. My flight on ryanair last year was cancelled, i got a refund for the flight AND i managed to get my EU261 compensation without any fuss whatsoever.
If you had said this about 5 years ago, i would have gone "yeah fair play, the seats are comfier, i get food, drinks and a good amount of avios for what i am paying and its worth the extra hour and a half onto my journey" but as it stands, there is nothing separating BA from Ryanair in Y in Short haul flights, especially for someone like me who has never set foot into a lounge in their life.
Jun 19, 2019, 2:25 am
#59
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Jun 19, 2019, 3:10 am
#60
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OK, they seem just a bit tighter: but the big selling point is the point-to-point network, and (can be) the fares.
Next month I have a Manchester Kiev flight, direct, non-stop for £60, including the bells and whistles of fast boarding and extra cabin bag.